Taxonomy with purpose

Decapod (10-legged) crustaceans – such as crabs, lobsters and prawns – are among the most familiar of invertebrate groups; yet many are only poorly understood scientifically, despite their commercial and ecological importance.

‘Many groups of decapods are still waiting to be studied properly’, says one of the Museum’s latest recruits, Dr Shane Ahyong.

It’s Shane’s second position at the Australian Museum, recently rejoining after a five-year stint as head of the Marine Biodiversity and Biosecurity Group with the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research, New Zealand.

Shane is interested in the big picture of crustacean systematics [classification].

‘Systematics is incredibly important for our understanding of the world.

‘For example, I’ve recently sorted out a problem in an emerging deep-sea fishery in New Zealand: the king crabs.

‘One species with potential commercial significance was previously thought to be two separate species that could be targeted; my work has shown that one of these is simply a juvenile form of the other -- Lithodes aotearoa.

‘Obviously, these juveniles, even though large enough to eat, mustn’t be harvested or there would be too few animals reaching maturity to sustain the population.